Ag Sales Professional's Podcast by Greg Martinelli

What?  We’ve all been told for years, “winners never quit and quitters never win”

Learn to ignore that adage and start quitting to win!

If you are in sales, then sales meetings are a fact of life

Use these three action items to get more out of every meeting!

Strategies for approaching difficult conversations with customers

It's not IF, but WHEN you will have a credit discussion!

Originally published in Feed & Grain's Coach's Corner Blog

 

It's not about your Selling Process

 

Connect better and sell more when you get out of your selling process and get into your customer’s buying process!

Originally published in Wisconsin Agri-Business News – Winter 2018  

 

How do you measure your salespeople?

 

How do you measure yourself?

Live up to everything you promised your prospects and customers

This is NOT a political article.  It's all about how to live up to the promises we make as salespeople when trying to sell a prospect.  Find out how you can build trust and win your customer's vote.

Employ every one of the senses in the selling process

Hearing - Sight - Touch - Smell - Taste and ......

It’s a tough road out there right now in Ag selling.  You know it better than anyone else.  Most of our customers are up against narrow margins or below breakeven.  Competition is fierce as everyone is trying to improve ROI.  Your sales presentations that used to work are being scrutinized harder by your customer.   Maybe your competition is putting new ideas in your customer’s mind that isn’t exactly accurate or helpful.

          What to do?  Do you continue to sell the same way you always have or do you learn to differentiate your selling process?

Today, I want you to start employing all six senses in your selling process.  Quit handicapping yourself by using some of the least effective senses.  Tap into the most effective senses for transferring a feeling as Zig wanted us to.

WHERE DO YOU START WHEN YOU WANT TO CHANGE, BUILD OR REBUILD THIS ASPECT OF YOUR AGRIBUSINESS?

        One of the most interesting benefits of training sales teams all over the US is experiencing a wide variety of sales team cultures.  You might think that salespeople are salespeople and sales teams are sales teams.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  I experience a wide range of sales team cultures from the heralded heroes who keep the company afloat to the scapegoats that are the cause of all that is wrong in their company.  It causes me to wonder: “How does this happen?” and “How can I improve or create the culture I want for my team?”

What is the sales team culture in your company?  Do any of the situations below sound familiar?

The Elitists:.....they are often highly regarded in the company as the source of bringing that revenue stream into the company......a sales team can soon become arrogant........

The Scapegoats:......In a few instances, I run into sales teams that are actually regarded as the problem of all that is wrong in a company.  As strange as it may seem, the culture towards the sales team is very negative.

WHAT WOULD A WEBSITE OF YOU LOOK LIKE?

One of the first steps in my sales workshop is to have attendees explain what they do, who they do it for and why customers buy from them.  You would be amazed how often this drill stumps the attendees.

This podcast helps salespeople understand how their customers and prospects view them.  Like a web page...one main picture and several drop-down tabs.   Listen to this episode as I discuss how you want to focus on the right drop-down tabs.!!

If you are struggling to find, training and retain top-performing employees in your agri-business, you are not alone.  Generational shifts, mergers, acquisitions and market disruption have increased the challenge of holding onto an employee for life.

Listen in to this podcast as I interview Mark Waschek from Ag 1 Source as we discuss:

00:45 - All about Ag 1 Source

03:20 - Nearly 800 displaced ag workers in the last few months due to mergers and reductions

05:20 - The second wave of employees that will make a career move

16:40  - A new look at the Millennial employee and other generational topics

26:20 - How to work with a placement agency like Ag 1 Source

 Candidate evaluation

 The importance of the onboarding time frame

  High turnover companies and what to look at

 

For more information on AG 1 Source and their services or to speak with one of their team members, go to https://www.ag1source.com/

 

For more information on Ag Sales Professionals - A sales coaching, training & speaking service focused on agribusiness go to www.GregMartinelli.net